Sunderland midfielder Pierre Ekwah has admitted that he “didn’t hesitate” to join Ligue 1 outfit St. Etienne on loan when the opportunity presented itself last month.
The 22-year-old departed the Stadium of Light on a deadline day deal with an option-to-buy attached, and has since established himself as a regular fixture of St. Etienne’s starting XI, registering 270 minutes of action so far. And Ekwah, who was born just south of Paris but left his home country to sign for Chelsea’s youth academy in 2018, has revealed that he jumped at the chance to return to France this summer.
Speaking to the French press, as relayed by Le10 Sport, he said: “My return to France? When I had the opportunity to come, I didn’t hesitate. Of course, it makes me happy, but it’s a bit strange at the same time, because I left for England quite young.
“It’s cool to be back in the country where I grew up. It’s nice to hear French spoken, to have press conferences in French and all that. Playing in this league is really great. When you turn on the TV, it’s you. When your family turns on the TV, it’s you. It’s really nice.”
Ekwah has also seemingly made quite the impression on his new teammates in recent weeks. Speaking recently, fellow midfielder Aïmen Moueffek said: “Whether it’s with [fellow midfielder] Mathis [Amougou] or Pierre, in the middle we are really complementary. The profiles are all different, Pierre for example is more defensive, Mathis more offensive and I am a bit of a mix of the two. The three go well together, it’s good for the team to have players who go well together and who are complementary.
“Pierre has relieved us, already because he’s as good a person off the pitch as he’s on the pitch, but also because his defensive strength is a major asset for the team. In addition to that, he has real quality to his game.
“With him, I feel freer, I know that I can go up and move out of the zone because he will be there behind to cover me if something bad happens like a counter or a loss of the ball. With him, I play more naturally and more freely. He integrated easily, there is chemistry with the whole dressing room, he was well received.”
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